Air clarifier



March 23 1926.

' i c.-vAN DEVENTER AIR CLARIFIER l Filed Nov. a. 1922' 5292 Patented Mar. 23, 1926.

UNITED STATES PArENTQoFFlCE.

CHRISTOPHER VAN DEVENTER, OF CHICAGO, IILINOIS.

AIR CLARIFIER.

Application led November 8, 1922. Serial No. 599,658:

bustion engines, the presence of dust, grit and other dirtyin the airsuppliedto such engines is objectionable for they reasons,

among others, that, infburning,lthe com-- bustible portions of the dirt produce car bon which fouls the ,-cylindersand pistons of the engine and the parts exposed therein, particularly the valves and spark plugs,

which soon impairs their' operation; While the gritty., portions ofthe dirt produce wear of the cylinder and'A piston, causing leakage and defective operation. The deposit of carbon/Within the'enginecylinders, with its attendantv objectionable 'results-#isincreased' ff by the'deposit of unconsumed particlcs of dust and dirton surfaces and parts exposed Within the" cylinders, said particles being also coated with carbon. l

My improv d afir clarifier was developed ,p with particulareference to 'us on internal combustion engines, and the object of the invention is to overcome the'foregoing objectionable features by providing means for removing dust and other impurities from the air supplied to internal combustiony engines. e v

In accordance with my invention, I attain the foregoing object by electrostatic means,

F to receive the same,

wherebyr the dust and `ot-her impurities, car ried by the current of air supplied to'an internalrcombustion fengine Willv beA Withdrawn from such lcurrent into a zone of quiet, discharged and then permitted to fall by gravity into a. settling chamber adapted moved at intervals'. Y

In what I now consider to be the preferableembodiment of my invention, as applied for clarifyingl the air supplied to' 'aninternal combustion engine, my improved' air clarifier comprises a casing provided withv `air admission and, discharge -openin the discharge opening of whlch'is adap to beconnected tothe air intake of the carburetor from vwhich it may .be reof an internal combustion engine, supported Within which, in substantially axial align-v ment with' the airadmission opening thereof,

is an electrodeiconsisting, prefrably,cof a` piece of sheet copper shaped to form a hemispl1ere,'which is so proportioned and posi-4 tioned that a passageway will be formed be tween it, and the side Walls of thecasing,

which is,.sevral times ythe area of the airf;

admission opening-tothe air clarifier casing, whereby the' current of air'passing through 4the clarifier( casing will be reduced to such 'low velocity when passing said electrodeas compared with its velocity when entering the air `admission opening of said casingthat its capacity as a vehicle for all kinds ofdirt 'will be very low, thus permitting dirt ,in finely comminuted form to be withdrawn therefrom by electrostatic action and derposited into -a ,settling chamber. Said electrode may conveniently be supported at the end of a metallic rod secured in the wall of the clariier'casing, and insulated therefrom by' suitable means, and Which'is connected with the positive side of thegenerator, the

clarifier casing being of such dimension that a charge of static electricity of desired potential y,will be imposed upon said electrode and an electrostatc iield produced'surrounding the same, Without, however, jumping the -gap between said electrode and the clarifier casing, said positive static charge on said electrode operating in a usual manner to induce a-correspon'ding negative static charge on the clarifier casing. Y lso, said positively c charged electrodens so positioned that dust and dirt entrained with the current of 'air entering the clarifier casing, will either come into-direct contact with said positive electrode o11 will" traverse the electrostatic ield surrounding the same. Y

'.lso, the air admission opening to the clarifier casing is appreciably smaller than the end of the casing in which it is formed, the end of said casing outside of said admission opening being closed and a. thimble being secured in thea'ir admission opening which extends Vinwardly towards theelec- 1 trode, thus providing a ydead air space or settling chamberv -below said electrode pand surrounding the air admission opening.

With the described construction, it is obvious that dust and dirt contained in the curientof air entering the clarinet thrx'nugh thel 'airn admission opening thereof, atmosph ric temperature, and the other, air

' rounds said positive electrode in said clarifier casing.

by contact with the positive electrode or in which has been pre-heated, usually by means traversing the static field surrounding the of a waste gas heater. Y

same, will become^ positivelycharged and To meet these different conditions, therewill be repelleday the positive electrode and/fore, my improved clarifier is provided with 70 attracted bythe negative electrode-that istwo discharge ppenings 5, both or only 'one the section of the clarifier casing whichlsurof which will be connected to the carburetor whereby said to meetthe requirements of a given installaparticlesof dust and dirt will be drawn tion. When only one of said discharge out/of the current ofeair traversing said, clar-` openings has connection with the air intake 7.5 ifier casing into contact with the 4`negative of the carburetor, the other discharge openelectrode, electrically discharged, and deing will be closed by suitable means. posited by gravity into the settling chamber As shown in the drawings, one of the disy charge openings is ada ted to be connected F or convenience in removing the dirt with the intake by a p1pe51, and the other 80 which accumulates in the clarifier, Lthe setdischarge openin is closed by a. removable tling chamber -is preferablyfogmed in a separate detachable section of the clarifierl casing, which may quickly and conveniently be disconnected and-removed whenit'is/.desired to empt the same.

As preferabl aratedetachedY section of the clarifier casing Jin which th'e settling chamber is formed is made of copY er and is so proportioned that it will extend above 'andsiirround the clec- 'trode supported. inrsaid clarifier casing', the ground connection for the clarifier casing being made directly thereto. A

In accordance with my invention, also, in order to lrender the clarifier more effective in operation, the surface of the electrode isv preferablyv roughened to 'provide a great. number of very fine points or projections,

thus' intensifying'the electrostatic field.

My invention also comprises the various i vother features and details of construction improved/ air hereinafter described and claimed. yIn the accompanyin drawings in 'which my invention is'fully lllustrated,

vFigure 1 'is a sectional elevation of myv clarifier on the line 1--1 ofA Fig'. 2.

Figure 2 is a side View, on a reduced scale,

taken from the left side of Fig. 1; and

Figure 3 is a sectional top plan view on the'line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, A designates the casing of my improved air clarifier as a whole, said casing comprising an upper section 1 preferably made of cast aluminum, and a lower section 2 preferably made of sheet copper removably secured to the section 1 by any suitable means, desirable means for the purpose consisting of a bayonet joint, indicated at 3,v see particularly Fig. 2.

As is f generally lwell known to persons familiar with the construction and installap tion of internal-combustion engines land carburetors therefor-particularly for use on automobiles-the carburetor 1s sometimes provided with but one source of air supply `vand sometimes with two,

Y of 4which one is adapted to supply au t0 the Carburetor al;

y constructed, also, the sepcap 52, accor ance with usual practice. Vhile, as shown, the casing of the clarifier is provided with two discharge open- )ings, myyinvention contemplates the use of a single 4discharge ppening, if desired.

Supported within the casing of the clarifier so yasto beelectrically insulated therefrom, ,is an electrode 6, said electrode being made of an electrical conductor, preferably -W sheet copper, the sides thereof diverging upwardly and outwardly, said electrode being shape.

a rod 7 which is an electrical conductor, beings preferably -made of copper, the lower endof sai rod being reduced in-size, forming a shoulder on said. rod, and the reduced portion thereof extending through al hole 100 formed in the electrode 6, and' being riveted over said electrode,lall as shown at 8, 1. f

The upper end ofv the rod 7 lis secured` in the top wall of the upper section 1 of the clarifier casing, being insulated from'said '105 .casingby an insulating bushing 9, through which said rod extends, lsaid bushing comprising a 'flange or collar which bears against the outside off the top wall of`the casing surrounding the hole therein through 110.

which the body portion of the bushing ex'- tends. The 'electrode 6 is supported in the clarifier casing in axial alignment with the air admission opening 4- by me'ans of a spider 10, made of .fibre or other suitable insulating mat-erial, comprising a central portion 11 adapted to forml a cover for the open upper sideyof said electrode and peripheral projections 12, the ends of which are fittedl to the inside of the lower section 2 120 of the clarifier casing and which are adapted to extend beneath the lower end of the walls of the upper section 1 of the clarifier cas' A ing, said electrode securing means also ccm-- prising nuts 13 threaded to the upper end 125 ofthe rod 7 above the bushing 9 and which bear against the upper side thereof.

With the described construction, it is obvious that the spider 10, through engagement of the projections .12 thereon with the preferably substantiallyl heinisphericalP in As sl1own,/the electrode supported-hyp lower endiof the upper section of the clarifier'casing, in addition to centering the elec-`J trode 6, will form an anchorage for said f electrode when the nuts 13 are tightened.

The lower end of the casing A is. relatively much larger than the air admission opening 4 therein, and said opening is eX- tended upwardly towards the electrodel 6 by means of a flange or thimble 14 which forms a settling lchamber 15-at the lower end of the clarifier casing surrounding the air admission opening 4, into which the dust and dirt-separated from the air entering the casing of the apparatus in operation, will Abe deposited and from which itv may conveniently be removed by .detaching' the lower section 2 of the clarifier ,casing and emptying the settling -chamber 15.

As shown, the effective spark gap between the electrode 6 and the lower, section 2 of the clarifier casing is dened by the distance which separates the upper' edge of the thimble`14 from the surfacel of said electrode, and. to adapt the clarifier for use with static charges of, different potential, lmeans are preferably provided for varyingthe length' of the spark gap. To thisend, the electrode 6 is supported so as to be adjustable ton, wards andufrom the openrupper endv of said thimble.-l As shown,'this capacity for adjustment is provided by means of springs 16 secured to the peripheral projections 12 of the spider 10 which engage the shoulder formed by the lower end of the upper'section 1 of the clarifier casing land-with the .nuts 13 threaded to the rod 7 will afford the adjustment desired, in an obvious manner.

My invention, Ahowever, contemplates equally omitting the springsv16 and engaging the spider arms l2 directly'with the lower end of the upper casing section 1.-

As installed for use, the electrode 6 is adapted to be electrically connected with the positive terminal of the high potential or ignition sideof the magneto of the en-` gine'or other electrical generator, the nut threaded to the upper endk of the rod 7 affording convenient means for this purpose. Also, the lower section 2 of the clarifier Icasy ing is adapted to be connectedto the terminalof the magneto or other generator,l other tlan rthat to which the'electrode 6 is connected or, preferably,.to be grounded, whereby the electrode 6 and the lower section 2 of the clarifier casing will become charged with static electricity of opposite potential. Also, the electrode 6 is ,supported in such relation to the side walls of the ycasing section 2 that the static charge will not jump the gap between said electrode and the clarifier casingz- In practice, the vdiameters of the lower section-2 of the clarifier casing and of the,`

VAors- ,electrode' 6 are so proportioned that the area of the 4spacebetween the largestdfameter of said electrode and the side wall of the casing will' be several times the area of the air admission opening 4, thus correspondingly reducing the' velocity of the airasvit passes upwards around said electrode and its capacity as a. vehicle for dust and dirt contained therein.

ln operation, the current o the air admission opening 4 of the clarifier, will strike the lower surface of the electrode 6 and will be diverted outwardly on all sides thereof, the parti'cles'of dust and dirt confair entering" "eyed bysaid current of air strikingagainst the surface of the electrode, or passing through the electro-positive .field -surrounding sald electrode,y as the air current passes upwardly around the same, thereby receiving'an electro-positive static charge, said particles thereupon beinr repelled by the e ectrode 6 and attracted by the negative electrode formed by the lower section 2 of the clarifier casing, whereby said particles,

will be drawn into contact with said casing and out of the current of air passing upwardly through the clarifier casing, thus being discharged and becoming inert and falling by gravity into the settling chamber l5, .from which it may be removed by merely 'detaching and emptying the lower section 2 of the clarifier casing.

Also, as Vpreviously stated, in order to render. the clarifier more effective in operation,

thesurface of the electrode 6 isv preferably .roughened to provide al great number of very fine points or projections thereon, thus intensifying the potential of the sta-ticl charge at said points or projectlons. The

surface of'said electrode may conveniently be thus roughened by means of avsand blast or electrolytic action.

I claim: p

1. In an air clarifier the combination of a casing provided with air admission and discharge openings, said' casing comprising` a metallic section in the end of which the air admission opening is formed, an electrode supported within said metallic casing section in line with the. air admission opening and f inspaced relation to the side walls of said metallic casing section, said electrode consistin of a metallic body the surface of which adjacent to the air 'admission opening is upwardly-and outwardly ared, and themeans gether with articles` of dust anddirt entrained there y will pass. Y

' 2. An air clarifier as specified in claim 1, in which the surface of the electrode adjacent to the air admission opening is convex.

3. An air clarifier as specified in claim 1, in which the electrode supported within the metallic casing section is larger than the air admission opening and the metallic casing section is sufliciently large so that a passagewaywill be formed between said casing section and the largest diameter of said elec- .trode the area of which is several times that chamberv between said thimble and the siden wall of said clarifier casing, the section of the casing in which said settling chamber is formed being' detachable. 6. Ai air clarifier as'specified in claim 1, in which a thimble surrounds the air admission opening to the clarifier casing-and eX- tends into the same, forming a settlingchamber between said thim-ble and the side wall of said clarifier casing, and the effective electrostatic field between the metallic casing section and the electrode supported therein is defined by the distanceL which separates said electrode and the upper edge ofthe thimble which surrounds the air admission opening to said clarifier casing.

7. An air clarifier as specified in claim 1,

l yin which athimble surrounds the air admission .opening to the clarifier casin and eX- tends tinto the same, forming-a settling chamber between said thimble and the side l wallo'f said clarifiercasing, and the effective electrostatic field between the metallic casing section and the electrode supported c therein is defined by the distance which sepain 'which an thimble surrounds the air ading section and'lfhe -electrode supported mission opening to the clarifier casing and' extends linto the same, forming a settling chamber between saidv thimble .and the side wall ,of saidyclarifier casing, and the effective electrostatic field between the metallic castherein is defined by the distancewhich separates said electrode and the ulppe ed e of the thimble which surrounds t e air a mission opening to saidl clarifier casing, the

react against the parts ofthe clarifier cas-t ing witliwhich said-arms interlock.

9. An air clarifier as specified in claim 1, in which the`means for supporting the`electrode comprises a rod which is anv electrical conductor secured tothe clarifier casingand insulated therefrom, and a spider secured to said rod comprising rejections-fitted to the inside of said clari er casing.

10. An air clarifier as specified in claim I1,

in which the means for supporting the electrode comprises a rod which is an' electrical( conductor secured to the clarifier casing and insulated therefrom, and a spider secured to said rodV comprising arms or projections fitted to the insidek of said clarifier casing which interlock with rigid parts ofthe clarifier casing. D

11. An airclarifier as specified claim 1,

in which the meansfor supporting the electrode comprises a rOd which is anelectrical conductonsecured to the clarifier casing and insulated therefrom, and a spider secured to said rod comprising arms or rojectiolis fitted to the inside of said clari er casing, the electrode being hollow and said spider comprising a central portion which forms a cover for the open side thereof.'

12. An air clarifier as specified in claim 1J,

in which the means for supporting the electrode comprisesv a rod which is an electrical conductor secured to the clarifier casing and insulated therefrom, and a spider secured to said ,rod comprising arms or projections fitted tothe inside of said clarifier casing, theclarifier casing consisting of separate sections andthe projections of the spider interlocking with the end of ope of said sections.

13. -An air clarifier 'as specified in claim 1,

in which the surfaceof the electrode supported within the clarifier casing is roughened to form a multiplicity of fine points.

In witness that I claiml the'foregoing as my invention, I affix my Asignature this 1st day of November, D. 1922.

' CHRISTOPHER VAN DEVENTER. 

